called elders or bishops. It was only at a later period that the office
of a bishop was made superior to that of elder, pastor or minister. The
office of an apostle was a separate and higher office. The apostles were
the witnesses of Christ's redemption, and possessed miraculous powers.
They have no successors. Ministers are the ambassadors of Christ,
beseeching men to be reconciled to God. [II Cor. 5:20+] Christ speaks
through them. He who hears them, hears Christ; he who despises them,
despises Christ. [Luke 10:16] If a minister should happen to be a
hypocrite, his official acts, such as baptisms and the like, would still
be valid. [II Tim. 2:13] _Deacons_ [Acts 6:1-6] are officers whose duty
it is to assist the pastor, and to look after the temporal interests of
the congregation. _Deaconesses_ [Rom.16:1] are consecrated to the work
of love and mercy, and minister to the sick, the needy, the neglected,
the ignorant, the fallen, and the friendless.

THE VARIOUS CHURCHES.

While the Church, in the strict sense of the word, is the "communion of
saints" and therefore _one_, yet outwardly it has become divided, in the
course of time, into many different churches, denominations, and sects.
It contains Four Great Branches: _The Greek Catholic Church_; _The Roman
Catholic Church_; _The Evangelical Lutheran Church_; and _The Reformed
Churches_, comprising a great number of denominations and sects. The
Lutheran Church and the Reformed Churches are called Protestant. (For
the names and relations of various branches of the Church, see the
accompanying Diagram, on page 106.)

THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church is in reality the old original Church